Monsters are Scared of Us (Evy Story 2)
by quietandsneaky
Summary: This is a prequel to my story Sensitive Souls are the Strongest. After John tells a three year old Evy the truth about the supernatural, she's scared. Her brothers work together to make her feel better about the scary world she's found out about.


**Disclaimer: The characters of Supernatural do not belong to me. The original character of Evelyn Winchester does.**

 **This is a prequel to my story Sensitive Souls are the Strongest. It describes the argument I mention a couple times where John tells Evy the truth about the supernatural. While it is not absolutely necessary to read my first story to understand this one, I do very much recommend it. If you decide not to, here's a quick summary. Evy is Sam and Dean's little sister. She's ten years younger than Sammy, fourteen years younger than Dean. She loves her dad and both her brothers, but she's attached to Sam more than John or Dean. I give a recap of the story of her birth in Sensitive Souls, so I'm not going to recap that here. Anyway, enjoy!**

Evy clung to Dean, crying and holding onto him so tightly that it was nearly impossible to tell where Evy ended and Dean began. He tried his hardest to comfort her, to make her stop crying, because the thought of her still crying when Sam got back made Dean cringe. There was no way to really hide from Sam what had happened that day, but Dean was hoping that having Evy calm and happy when Sam got back would make him less likely to explode.

"It's okay, kiddo. Calm down and we can talk about this." Dean said kindly, bouncing Evy up and down slightly.

"Want. Sammy!" Evy said.

Evy banged her little fist against Dean's back to punctuate what she was saying. Dean sighed. Evy was crying so hard she couldn't even get a word out before crying again. And Sam was only a few minutes away. There was no way that Dean would get her calmed down enough before Sam got home. The only person who could really do that was, unfortunately, Sam. So Dean wrapped his protective arms around his little sister, bracing himself for the inevitable fight that night. A few minutes of close cuddling later, the front door of the small house opened, and Dean took a deep breath.

"Hey, guys." Sammy's familiar voice said. "Cricket, are you okay? What are you still doing up?"

"Sammy!"

Evy finally realized that Sam was home. She jumped off of Dean's lap and ran to Sam, still crying. Concerned, Sam picked her up and carried her to the bed. He tried to examine Evy for signs of an injury, but she held to him even more tightly than she had Dean.

"Cricket, what's wrong?" Sam asked. Evy just squeezed him tighter, so Sam looked to Dean. "What happened?"

Dean sighed, closed his eyes, and told Sam. "Dad told her where you were this last week."

Sam looked confused. "Told her…"

"The truth." Dean said. "Dad told her the truth. About everything."  
Sam's eyes practically popped out of his head. Evy was still crying and holding on to him, so Sam held her a bit tighter. He shushed her gently before turning back to Dean.

"Dad did what?" Sam asked, his eyes narrowing.

 _Crap._ Dean thought. Sam's voice was low. Low and dangerous. Just like their father's when he was really pissed off. Before Dean had a chance to answer Sam, though, Sam turned his attention to Evy.

"Cricket. Honey, come on. Listen to me."

Evy sat back slightly. Her breath was still coming in hitches, and tears were still falling, but Evy was basically silent. Dean was amazed. He'd been trying to get Evy to be calm for the last hour, and Sam had gotten her to listen in under ten seconds. Dean watched them closely. Sam brushed her hair back from her face, smiling at her; Evy relaxed a little more, and Sam waited almost sixty full, agonizing seconds, until her breathing evened out a little more, before speaking.

"What exactly did daddy tell you?" Sam asked.

"That you were gone fighting monsters." Evy explained sadly. "That that's what he and Dean do when they're gone."

Sam closed his eyes for a second, holding his anger back to avoid scaring Evy further. When he opened them, Evy was still watching him, waiting on him to explain. Sam smiled again, and Dean was amazed when Evy smiled back.

"Cricket, listen to me. I know what daddy told you was scary. And it is true." Evy's eyes immediately filled with more tears. "Shh. Don't cry, baby. I'm okay. Daddy's okay. Dean's okay. I promise we'll talk about this. But not right now. It's way past your bedtime, and you're exhausted. We'll talk about it in the morning. Okay?"

Evy yawned. "Will you stay with me till I go to sleep?" she asked.

"Yes." Sam said. "I'll hold you until you go to sleep. And I'll be right here when you wake up tomorrow."

"Promise?" Evy asked.

"Promise." Sam said. "I've got you, honey. Always."

Dean walked out into the living room, relieved that Sam had finally calmed Evy down. He was surprised to find that John had come back home at some point in the last three hours. He didn't say anything to John about Evy. The truth was that he was afraid to, and he knew Sam would have plenty to say for the both of them. He asked John a couple of questions about the hunt, before there was a knock at the door. John, not expecting anyone to come, drew his gun and went to the door cautiously. He was so concerned with the unexpected visitor that he didn't notice Dean smiling. Dean waited a moment and listened. The house was so small that he could hear Sam's voice drifting out through the bedroom. He was singing to Evy. The next sounds were the ones he was looking for. The front door opened, John started to say something. Then, the one sound that Dean had been waiting for. A loud crack and a familiar gruff, angry voice, followed by John hitting the floor.

"You selfish son of a bitch!"

Dean pumped his fist in the air before John came back in the kitchen. The complete, honest truth, which would never, ever come out to John, was that Dean had called Bobby hoping for the exact reaction he had just gotten. He had wanted to do it himself when Evy had come to him crying earlier that night, but his own sense of duty towards his father kept him from doing so. He didn't care if he got in trouble for calling Bobby, he just wanted to make sure John felt it. John and Bobby walked back inside, John rubbing the side of his face.

"Dean, did you…." John started to ask.

"Don't even think about it." Bobby said. "Dean isn't to blame for this. You are."

John sighed. He honestly didn't know what he'd been thinking when he told Evy the truth. She had been pestering him all afternoon about Sam. She'd asked him over and over when he was coming home. The point of sending Sam on the hunt and staying home with Evy had been to spend some time with her. But Evy had spent three days being sad and moping, wanting "my Sammy" to come back.

But if he was completely, totally honest with himself, John realized he had told her out of jealousy. He was jealous of Sam's close relationship with Evy, even though it was his fault it had happened in the first place. So, after being asked for the fiftieth time when Sam was coming home, John had picked up Evy, sat her on his knee, and told her the truth about what it was he and Dean, and now Sam, were doing. He had rationalized it at the time by saying that she needed to know the truth. But he knew that wasn't it. He felt like a crap father attempting to sabotage his daughter's relationship with his son. But in the end, that hadn't happened. As soon as he'd told Evy the truth, she had burst into tears and run to her room. She'd spent the rest of the afternoon crying and begging for Sammy.

"What were you thinking, John?" Bobby asked.

John realized he'd screwed up. "I wasn't." he said.

"Why?" Bobby asked. "Why would you tell her, John?"

"Because she needed to know…" John started.

"Tell him the truth, dad." Dean cut in.

John looked at Dean, quite annoyed. Dean swallowed hard, wanting to wither under his father's gaze, but he held his ground. Bobby watched the two of them closely. He knew perfectly well why Dean had called him. The only thing that really scared Dean was standing up to John. So Bobby did what Dean was wanting him too.

"Tell me the truth about what?"

John bit his bottom lip and said nothing.

Bobby turned to Dean. "Tell me the truth about what?"

Dean looked away from his dad, unable to talk if he looked at him. "Dad sent Sam on a hunt last week."

If possible, Bobby's eyes grew even wider. "By himself?"

Dean nodded. "By himself."  
"He's fourteen!" Bobby said, turning to John. "What the hell are you trying to do, make all your kids grow up before they grow up?"  
"Evy got sick." Dean continued, not giving his dad a chance to respond. "Right before Sam left. Sam offered to stay with her, but Dad said no. After Sam left, Dad and me tried to take care of her, but…"

"But she wanted Sam." Bobby guessed. Dean nodded, and Bobby continued his verbal tirade against John. "So you send Sam away when Baitfish isn't not feeling good, she cries for him, and you lose your patience." When John said nothing, Bobby knew he was on the right track. Shaking his head in disbelief, Bobby turned to Dean. "Where is she now?"

"Sam's trying to put her to sleep." Dean said.

Bobby nodded. "So once again, Sam's trying to clean up your mess. But this time you created a hell of a one for him to clean up."

John finally tried to defend himself. "I thought she needed to know. I thought she'd be able to handle it…"

"You thought a _three-year-old_ would be able to handle you telling her that monsters were real?" Bobby replied. "How stupid are you?"

John said nothing. He couldn't. Bobby was right. He hadn't told Evy the truth out of some selfless motivation to help her understand the world better. He'd done it to try and loosen her intense connection to Sammy. But that had blown up in his face. Evy was now closer to Sam than ever, and he didn't know if he'd ever get to have a close relationship with her. No one said anything for at least a couple minutes. There really wasn't anything to say. Finally, almost an hour after getting home, Sam walked into the kitchen, in a daze.

"She all right?" Bobby asked immediately.

"She's asleep." Sam said, walking over next to Bobby. "Finally."

Sam ran his hands through his hair and looked down towards the floor. He didn't want to look at his father, because he was afraid if he did he'd do or say something that he was at least supposed to regret. John made the first attempt to break the thick ice.

"Sam, I'm sorry." He said.

Sam could tell his father was sincere, but right now that didn't matter. "Dad…" Sam said, trying to keep his tone under control. If he got a lecture right about his attitude, he was afraid he really would snap. "I'm not mad." He said calmly. He finally looked up into his father's face.

John was surprised, to say the least. "You're not?"

Sam shook his head. "Nope. I'm hurt." John looked to Dean and Bobby, but neither betrayed any surprise at Sam's confession. Sam continued. "Dad, every time you and Dean are gone, I do everything I can to make Evy feel safe. I make sure she knows that you love her, and that you care about her, and that you, me, and Dean will always be there to protect her."

"Sam, I appreciate what you do for her…" John started to say.

Sam cut him off. "It doesn't feel like you do, Dad. Because you couldn't do it for me for a few days." John wanted to respond, but couldn't. Sam took advantage of his father's guilt. "She cried herself to sleep, Dad. Mostly because she's scared to death that something's going to happen to one of us."

Before John could respond, a small voice came from the doorway. "Sammy."

Everyone jumped; no one had heard Evy get up or come in. But there she stood, red puffy eyes looking out at all them, Squish clutched tight to her chest. Sam sighed and crouched down, placing his elbows on his knees and opening his arms. Evy walked over to him. Sam put his arms around her middle but didn't pick her up yet.

"What's wrong?" he asked gently, and just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"I can't seep." Evy said, leaning against him heavily and rubbing her eyes. "'M scared."

"Gee, I wonder why." Bobby muttered.

John chose to ignore the comment. "Little one…"

A tired and hurt Sam finally snapped at his father. "I've got her, dad." Turning back to Evy, he faked a smile and asked her quietly, "You want to go look at the stars?"

"Yes, please." She answered sweetly.

"Okay. Let's go, Cricket."

Sam picked up Evy and carried her out of the kitchen towards the living room. On the way, he grabbed a small box of Kleenex sitting on the kitchen table. Dean followed them, leaving John and Bobby in the kitchen, arguing quietly. Sam sat at the end of the couch, pulling one of the large removable cushions over so he could prop himself up. He pulled Evy up onto the couch with him. She sat in the space between his legs and the back of the couch, looking out the window. Tears started falling again. Sam reached a hand over and scratched her back, and Evy clutched Squish tightly to her chest.

"Talk to me." Sam said gently, wiping tears away from her eyes with one of the Kleenex he had brought over.

There was a snapping sound behind them, but both Sam and Evy ignored it. Evy laid down against the same cushion Sam was propping himself up on. Sam waited patiently for Evy to say something. He felt her still shaking a little, and stroked her hair to try and calm her. Eventually Evy turned around to face Sam.

"I'm scared." She repeated pitifully.

"Scared of what?" Sam asked patiently.

Evy sniffed. "I don't want anything to happen to any of you."

Sam nodded. "I know, sweetie. I don't want that to happen, either. But listen to me, okay? Daddy knows what he's doing. Dean knows what he's doing. So do I." Evy curled up closer to Sam, who hugged her before continuing.

"But…" Evy said, and Sam could see the wheels turning in her little brain. She looked up at him before continuing, searching his face for answers. "If monsters are real, they can get you. They can get me."

Sam was instantly transported back to having this same conversation with Dean years earlier. He'd been much older, but Sam had had the exact same question. Sam decided to tell Evy the same thing that Dean had told him.

"No. As long as I'm around, you'll be okay." Sam said.

"Promise?" Evy asked.

"Yes, my sweet girl." Sam said, smiling. Moments like this, when he had to comfort Evy, made him realize exactly how much he loved her. "I promise."

"I promise too."

Evy and Sam jumped, but it was just Dean. He had brought a blanket to them, and wrapped it over Sam. Sam made sure Evy was covered and warm, then turned to thank Dean. Dean leaned over to talk to Evy.

"I promise too, baby girl." Dean assured her. "Sam and I, Dad too, love you more than anything else in the world. Bobby loves you just as much. All of us are gonna protect you. I know you're scared of the monsters we fight, but I have a secret for you. Want to hear it?"

"Yeah." Evy whispered. "What is it?"

Dean whispered too, and was relieved when Evy smiled back at him. "The monsters are scared of us."

"Really?" Evy said, amazed.

"Really, kiddo." Dean said. "Feel better?"

Sam was relieved when Evy nodded. He rubbed her head and kissed her again.

"Good night, kiddo. I love you." Dean said.

"Love you too, Deanie."

Dean kissed Evy's forehead, and left to head to bed. Evy snuggled back against Sam, and laid her head on his chest. Sam wished her goodnight. He thought about picking her up and taking her back to bed. When she didn't answer him after telling her goodnight, he looked down and smiled again. Evy was already asleep. Sam sighed; he knew he'd be sleeping tonight right where he was. Sam kissed her again, and turned slightly to get a bit more comfortable.

"I've got you, Cricket. I've got you. Sleep tight, sweetie pie."

Sam turned over and went to sleep himself, holding on to Evy tightly. A few minutes later, John walked in. He had wanted to talk to Evy before she went to sleep, but now she was fast asleep in Sam's arms. Waking her up right now would only make her grumpy. John watched Evy and Sammy for a minute. It hurt his heart that Sam and Evy had that kind of a close relationship, and they didn't. And he had entirely screwed up any chances he had now to develop one. John walked over and tucked Evy in again, watching her for a moment before going to bed.

"I'm sorry, little one. I'm so sorry."


End file.
